


My Kind Of Trouble

by orphan_account



Category: Cuphead (Video Game)
Genre: Cuphead is like 21 or so, Dice is somewhere in his 30s, Fluff, Gay, I dont really know or care about the details, M/M, Mutual Pining, POV Alternating, Post-Canon, Rating May Change, What the fuck do you even tag for cuphead fics?, Who fuckin knows man, maybe slow burn?, uhh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-11-03
Packaged: 2021-01-16 03:24:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21264278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: From the moment they both met, they both knew the other was trouble. This was an indisputable fact that, to this day, neither would deny. And though it didn't change over time, it did gain a new meaning.





	1. Draw Out

From the moment they first met, King Dice knew Cuphead was going to be a problematic addition to his life.

To King Dice, Cuphead was a childish fool who had no cares about consequences until they came up and bit him in the ass. He was loud, impulsive, and had barely had a shred of respect in him. He remembers how the red-clad cup hollered with every win at the craps table. How he bet his brothers soul and his own for the chance to gain riches without a second thought. Yes, without a doubt, Cuphead was one of the most infuriating people to walk into his life.

Unfortunately, Dice also saw his good qualities as time went on. The cup was loyal to a fault, and braver than most men could even dream of being. He was snarky and quick-witted, with a dash of tenderness whenever it was called for. He was protective and was able to set his dignity to the side when things have gone too far.

The moment that had made Dice see most of these traits was one he doesn’t think he’d ever be able to forget.

The Devil told him to keep an eye on the boys, which had led him to follow them from the casino to the first Inkwell Isle. The whole way there, Cuphead was churning out apologies to a hysterical Mugman. The younger brother was shouting at the older about how he shouldn’t have followed the other; screaming at the top of his lungs about how they’re now damned to Hell, and that it was all Cuphead’s fault. 

Dice expected the other to yell back. To get angry or shift the blame onto the other for letting him go regardless of what their guardian had told them. What he didn’t expect though, was for Cuphead to accept it all. Instead of refuting, the porcelain-head instead admitted it was his fault with tears in his eyes that never seemed to fall. 

Halfway back to Elder Kettle’s house, the shorter of the two instead stopped with his brother’s sleeve in his hand. When Mugman looked back at him, he said he what he’d done was unforgivable and insisted on doing it alone, explaining that he should fix the mess himself and take responsibility. After that, the brothers had split up, leaving Cuphead to collect the contracts while Mugman stayed at home.

The two had reunited after Cuphead nearly broke apart in his battle with Cagney, but the memory lingered throughout the rest of their journey. And though Dice wishes that was the only instance of the cup seeming genuinely likeable, more followed it. 

Little rests in the Die House spent tending to injuries, gluing pieces of themselves back on. Helping townsfolk out despite their urgent mission that’s a matter of life and death. Seeming regretful after every battle, even though they  _ knew _ that they had to do it if they wanted to remain free. Time and time again, Cuphead revealed a new layer of himself to Dice without knowing it. And each time, Dice found himself more invested in the cup. 

By the time the boys had to fight him, he found himself hesitating at the mere thought of hurting them. Of hurting  _ Cuphead _ . 

So he sent the workers after them, hoping that they’d be the one to deal the final blow. Unfortunately, they proved to be nothing but a hindrance to the duo, and kept powering their way through his staff. Soon enough, Dice had to go up against them himself, but even then he made the cards do the work. With each hit the cup and mug took, an apology made its way to the tip of his tongue, yet died out as quickly as it came, lodging itself deep in his throat. Eventually his arms got too battered to pull off anymore magic and he was knocked out, falling to the floor with stars in his vision and blood on his lips. The usually pristine King Dice was battered black and blue; turned into a mockery of his usual pristine self.

Yet, for some reason, he didn’t seem to mind it as much as he should’ve. 

And now, as he listens to the Devil bawl like an infant about his defeat at the hands of Cuphead and Mugman, he mulls on it, a question turning into a haze that engulfs his thoughts.

_ Why doesn’t he mind it? _

He could always brush it off and say that they just surprised him; that he went easy on them and that in a real fight he’d be able to shatter them with ease. But no, he knew full well what they were capable of beforehand. And while he  _ might’ve _ gone a  _ little _ easy on them, it wasn’t such a far cry from his usual skill that he could say he’d wipe the floor with them if they’d fight again. Hell, even if he didn’t have that hesitance during the battle and came at them with all he had, he still doubts he’d even come close to emerging as the victor. 

_ So why isn’t it such a big deal? _

As he walks away from the Devil, whose wails have turned into little more than pitiful whines, he pushes it away as much as he can. It doesn’t  _ matter _ why he isn’t throwing a hissy fit at his own defeat. It doesn’t  _ matter _ why he isn’t furious at himself for being made a fool out of. It doesn’t matter one bit.

Besides, even if it did, Dice doubts that he’ll ever see their faces again. With the contracts turned into nothing more than ashes, and the Devil being unfit to make any new ones for a while, there’s no reason for them to return. No one to protect, or save, or even talk with. The casino will be left behind them as they enjoy their glory as the new heroes of the Inkwell Isles. They have no reason to look back now.

Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1: Sorry about the poker chapter names, I don't play shit except for 5 Draw. They will continue to remain horrible.
> 
> 2: I literally have no fuckin' clue how this is going to play out. Its 10pm on a school night and I just said "fuck it lets make a dice and a cup be big gay" and now we're here.
> 
> 3: This chapter sucks and the next one will too because I wanna do a mild canon patdown. So yeah, next chapter is gonna be literally this but its our favorite cup instead of Dice.
> 
> 4: Oh boy this is gonna be a fuckin' ride. Especially when you consider the last time I wrote a piece of fiction was about a year ago, and the things I wrote suck arse. Add in the fact I literally have no clue how to write a romantic relationship, and I'm gonna be staring at my screen for 5 hours per chapter at some point.
> 
> 5: I'm hoping to make each chapter at least 1000 words long each because doing anything less makes me feel like actual trash. Highest you'll ever see though is probably 2k since I can't fucking buckle down and do something for too long.
> 
> 6: If someone wants to beta that'd be great but idk how betas work all that well and I don't converse much so it'll prolly be really awkward. I mostly need one for a bit of grammar, pacing, word help, and a bit of plot help too if anyone's willing to do that.


	2. Backdoor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanna say real quick that Cuphead refers to Dice as King Dice in his POV because I feel like Dice would be something only people close/comfortable to/with him could use, such as the casino workers and the Devil. I can also guarantee it'll fuck me up at some point down the road.

From the moment they first met, Cuphead knew King Dice would infuriate him.

To Cuphead, King Dice was a skeezy fuck who only cared about how much cash he’d have in his pocket by the end of the day. He’d put on a facade of cheerful encouragement, yet the whole thing was a trap to lure people in further ‘til they couldn’t escape. King Dice had no remorse for anyone, and that was fine with Cuphead, as those were the stories he’d been told about the man since he was little. 

Then when they first met, the words of Elder Kettle perfectly fit the die-headed man. Cuphead could see the sadistic malice hidden behind each smile directed towards the luckier patrons. The fiendish glee was easy to see in the man’s eyes. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop Cuphead from continuing to raise the stakes higher and higher in his game of craps. Then he went for broke, and choked on his own greed, leaving him and Mugman to scramble for the soul contracts they were forced to collect.

For a while, the casino’s manager was forgotten. The older cup didn’t have time to think about the sly man, what with the whole debt collecting thing going on. It was hard work trying to fend off their vicious neighbors with nothing more than the powers Elder Kettle’s potion gave him, a smoke bomb bought from Porkrinds shop, and the spread potion from the same buff shopkeeper. 

After the brothers had reunited and chose to work together to keep their souls, they headed to a large red building that acted as the bridge between the first and second isles. The building was called the Die House, due to its external appearance resembling a die. Cuphead figured that’d be a good place to rest for a bit before heading off to take out another round of debtors.

What Cuphead didn’t expect, however, was the presence of King Dice. In hindsight, it made a lot of sense, considering that neither of the brothers know of another dice-person, and there’d be no other reason for the building to be modeled after one if it wasn’t in someone’s likeness. 

Cuphead remembers the first time they’d entered the Dice House since starting their journey.

_ “Hold it there boys! I can’t let you two pass ‘til you round up all them contracts!” King Dice had positioned himself so neither of them could get past without a confrontation. A wide grin on his face that couldn’t be read like the ones back at the casino made the young man wary. Growling, Cuphead dug the contracts out of his pockets and shoved them into the taller man’s outstretched hand. _

_ As King Dice counted the contracts, Mugman was futilely trying to drag Cuphead towards the couch, but the shorter brother was having none of it. He couldn’t trust the guy in front of them as far as he could throw him. He refused to move his eyes from the purple-clad man’s face. More than a few times, Cuphead caught him flicking his eyes towards him. His smile seemed to sober a bit with each glance at his porcelain self, and it made Cuphead feel on edge. What the hell was he thinking? _

_ Then the contracts were suddenly back in his hands. “Well, that’s all of ‘em. Gotta say, I thought you woulda been turned into shards by now! Let’s see just how long that luck will last.” _

_ Then with a snap of his fingers, a hole appeared underneath King Dice, sending him off to who knows where. As Cuphead continued to wonder just what that blockhead was planning, Mugman finally succeeded in bringing him over to the couch and started to bandage his head up. _

That wasn’t the last they’d seen of the older man either. With each visit, no matter if they had all the contracts or not, he was there. He’d watch them as they looked at who else they had to give a walloping. He’d watch them as they tended to their wounds. He was _ always _ watching. It would’ve unnerved Cuphead if not for what King Dice did while he watched them.

He’d give them bits of advice regarding future battles they’d be in, explaining how they could parry Baroness Von Bon Bon’s giant rolling peppermint, or how the lobber was a god-awful choice for Beppi. Sometimes he’d even spill a tale about why one of the debtors gave away their soul. 

Cuphead also saw him staring at their injuries more often than not. He noticed how King Dice’s hands would twitch and his eyes would turn slightly sympathetic whenever he’d see a particularly nasty crack. One time, when most of Mugman’s handle had came off, he even tentatively came up and asked if there was anything he could do to help.

Cuphead didn’t know what to think of this. On one hand, it showed that the manager had more sides to him than ‘absolute sleazeball’ and ‘manipulative bastard’. On the other though, what was he playing at? He had nothing to benefit from helping them. Hell, by giving them tips and carefully fixing up their wounds, he was successfully hurting his boss’ chance of reaping their souls. 

The man managed to be an enigma throughout their journey through the isles. Eventually, they finally came to the casino, only to be forced to fight King Dice himself. For what? A _ bet _? It just didn’t make sense no matter how hard Cuphead tried to piece it together. He helped them so much, and yet he started an infuriating flurry of fights over a bet where he said they’d die before they even got to the casino? God, Cuphead’s head hurt just thinking about what kind of fucked up logic was at play here. 

In the end though, they walloped him ‘til he was woozy with pain, and went on to do the same to the Devil. They burned all the contracts they’d paid for in fragments of porcelain from themselves, and declared everyone who was indebted to the Devil as free. 

Later that night, a party was held on Inkwell Isle 2. Everyone they’d met was there. Well, not quite. The workers and the Devil weren’t there, but that was to be expected. And though the same should be said for King Dice, Cuphead still felt disappointed when he didn’t catch sight of the man’s purple tailcoat or his too-wide smile.

And despite how much he knew he shouldn’t, he couldn’t help but wish the man was here as the festivities continued throughout the night. Even as he was close to falling asleep, he found himself thinking of King Dice. He wondered if he’d ever see him again.

He hoped he would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will feature the bois headin' to the casino!
> 
> Also the end of this chapter ain't present tense cause uhhh. Idk. Cuphead goes to sleep earlier than Dice or somethin, who the fuck knows. It doesn't matter anymore though since the rest is gonna be present tense from now on because all the "hey here's what happened" shit is done with at this point. 
> 
> Also can you tell I really suck at ending chapters? Cause I do~


	3. Chapter 3

9am in the morning found Cuphead being shaken awake by Mugman. He gave a half hearted swat in the taller’s direction, and met nothing but air. And what’d he get for his efforts? His blanket torn away from him, leaving him absolutely freezing. Cuphead finally opens his eyes and glares at his brother, who shows no signs of remorse, and even  _ throws _ the blanket across the room. Oh, Cuphead will make sure he pays the price for his sin later.

  
  


Groaning, Cuphead sits up and stretches, making sure to shove an outstretched middle finger in Mugman’s direction, who just chuckles at his ire. As Cuphead crosses his now warmed up arms over his chest, he finally gains enough sense to ask something he should’ve asked the moment Mugman decided to wake him up.

“Alright Mugman, answer this quickly, because your days are numbered. Why did you wake me up?” 

Mugman rolls his eyes and gives a little huff at his comment before replying. “Well, I figured we’d go see what’s happening at the casino,” he says like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. ‘ _ Gee, sorry that we all can’t be intellectuals, Mugman, _ ’ Cuphead snarks mentally.

“And why do we need to see those chumps? We don’t got any business with them anymore, so what’s the point in goin’ over there?” Cuphead asks. “Besides, they all probably hate our guts anyways, so who’s to say we won’t get blasted into oblivion the moment we waltz in?” he adds as an afterthought. 

“Well, I wanna make sure they’re all alive,” Mugman admits. And he has a point, as they were pretty rough with most of the workers, especially the Devil and King Dice. “Plus, wouldn’t it be a good idea to make sure the Devil isn’t making more contracts right now?” Another good point, Cuphead decides. 

“Fine,” Cuphead concedes, “we’ll go to the casino. But just a quick check-in. Then we’re outta there, capiche?” Mugman nods in understanding, and the brothers move to get ready. ‘ _ Role reversal is a bitch, _ ’ Cuphead thinks. After they’re all prepared, they bid goodbye to Elder Kettle and head for the casino. 

Mugman chose to dress in a pair of dark navy skinny jeans and the argyle sweater vest that he’d ironed the night prior. He also has on a pair of prescription glasses, which he had forgone during their adventure due to them being a hindrance. After the ordeal, he’d bemoaned the existence of contacts, and swore he’d never wear them again. Cuphead just laughed at his plight.

Meanwhile, Cuphead was dressed far more simply. He had a pair of grey sweatpants with the legs rolled up, effectively turning them into shorts. His shirt was a simple red with a single diamond etched into the center. Cuphead remember when he made it at camp. They were learning about embroidery, and the camp counselor gave them some plain shirts to make designs on. Surprisingly, Cuphead’s was the neatest one, with only a handful of misplaced stitches. Mugman’s ended up being the worst, as the failed spade somehow managed to look more like a sinking ship than anything else.

The two brothers make light banter as they walk, with Cuphead teasing Mugman about his obvious crush on Cala Maria, while Mugman laments Cuphead’s complete inability to use the aeroplanes without getting airsick. He nearly shoves Mugman in a ditch for that comment, and Mugman comes close to dragging him down alongside him. 

Now they stand in front of the railroad tracks that marked the start of their harrowing adventure yet again. And as they carefully pass them, something in Cuphead’s heart starts rising, something completely unidentifiable. 

But he doubts this visit will be as painless as he expected.

~~~

Dice was having a pretty decent morning, all things considered. Yes, he woke up with a pounding headache, and  _ yes _ , he did look like he got ran over by a freight train, but it wasn’t too bad. He had a light breakfast consisting of cereal and toast before readying himself for another day of running the casino floor. Despite the Devil being out of commission for a while, money waits for no one, and the casino has to open its doors like nothing happened.

But that was fine with Dice; he practically immerses himself in the mundane routine. It’s so deeply integrated in his life that at this point, he doubts he can live without it.

He checked on all the workers, telling those who’re more damaged to take a day off to recover from their injuries. He made sure everyone was all set up and ready for another round of crazy patrons, and went to flip the sign hanging on the door handle to ‘open’. 

But now, he finds that he absolutely does  _ not _ want to do that, as he sees the two cup brothers marching towards the casino. Hadn’t they wrecked enough here already? Most of his workers are barely fit to work, there’s still damage in the Devil’s office, and the table he used during their fight is practically broken in half. What more could they want?

Unfortunately, he can’t go against the boss’ orders, and the Devil made it crystal clear that he wanted this place running like nothing happened the day prior. And to go against his wishes, well, that’s practically asking for death.

So Dice steels himself and flips the sign over, before attempting to make it back to his office before the cups can see him. As his hand touches the doorknob though, the front doors swing open, and Dice can practically  _ feel _ his headache intensifying. Even though he was, dare he say it, slightly  _ fond _ of the boys, he doesn’t have the patience to deal with them today.

“Heya  _ Dice _ !” Cuphead greets, and oh that’s just a kick in the teeth. Dice pivots on his heel and faces the shorter brother before speaking.

“That’s  _ King _ Dice to you, Cupface.” He’s met with laughter from the boisterous cup instead of acceptance. Of  _ course  _ it wouldn’t be that easy. 

“What, you mean I can’t call ya Dice like all your pals do?” Dice grits his teeth before uttering a single ‘no’. “Oh,” Cuphead responds glumly, and Dice finds himself almost wanting to change his tune and tell him he can call him Dice. But then Cuphead gives him a cheeky grin and Dice fears for his dignity once again.

“So… How about Di-Di?” A few of the workers laugh at this, and Dice considers whether it’s worth firing them or not. Sadly, they’re understaffed already, so the answer is a resounding no.

“What do the two of you want? Here to laugh at us or somethin’?” Dice asks, trying to glean their motivations. And though Cuphead looks ready to reply with a ‘yes’, Mugman covers his mouth with his hand, which has the older brother glaring up at him. 

“Actually, we’re just here for a check-in. We wanted to make sure that you all are doing alright after yesterday,” Mugman explains. A few of the workers hiss- yes,  _ hiss _ , like a bunch of feral animals- at them, but Dice hushes them real quick. And though to them it may seem like a ruse, Dice thinks quite the opposite. He knows both the boys are extremely caring souls, despite the ruthlessness they had to show yesterday. 

“Well, if you must know, a couple of my workers needed to take the day off to recover- Pachinko, Wheezy, and Chimes to be specific- and the boss isn’t fit to be anywhere besides Hell for now,” Dice says plainly. Mugman gains a look of relief. Then as quickly as it came, it was replaced with one of horror as he screeched and ripped his hand away from Cuphead’s mouth.

“Did you just  _ lick  _ me?! What the hell’s wrong with you?!” Mugman screamed at Cuphead, who looked like a cat who caught the canary. 

‘ _ Hellions, the lot of them, _ ’ Dice thinks, as he watches Mugman try to smear the saliva back on Cuphead. Dice clears his throat, and the boys halt in order to look back at him. 

“If that’s all boys, I’d appreciate it if you’d your mugs outta here,” Dice prompts, hoping he’ll be able to retreat and down a couple Advil soon. Yet the theme of the day seems to be ‘We hate King Dice’ as Cuphead stares at something behind Dice and grins mischievously.

“Actually, there  _ is _ something else,  _ Di-Di _ ,” Cuphead starts. Dice doesn’t bother calling him out on his name and just waves his hand as a cue for him to continue. “Well, we were wondering if we could get some of those job application forms from you,” he says with a sickeningly sweet smile, one that attempts to portray him as the epitome of innocence. 

‘ _ Of  _ course _ Cuphead would see the hiring poster. Why  _ wouldn’t  _ he? _ ’ Dice just groans and smacks his head against the wall.

“I think y’all broke him,’ Chips chimes in with a chuckles.

Dice is far too sober to deal with this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter feels kinda sucky to me, but my brain is dying too much for me to try and fix whatever's wrong with it.
> 
> Next time, Cuphead will regret his decision to make Dice suffer.


End file.
